Happy would mankind have been, had the purity and good influence of this excellent doctrine been preferved, by a careful ufe of the means, that recommended it first. But, by degrees, preachers handled the word of God deceitfully, and hearers turned away their ears from the truth unto fables: inftruction, was partly perverted, partly difufed: error and fuperftition returned in a new form, and ignorance and wickednefs again overspread the world. Once more, two centuries ago, the reftoration of a preaching miniftry restored truth and freeedom amongst us: and keeping up a due refpect for it, is our great fecurity against the dreadful alternative of open profaneness and profligateness, or Popish darkness and tyranny: the former of which evils, in all likelihood, if And ever it prevails, will foon make way for the latter. therefore religious inftruction, which guards us at once against both, is a most important public good. Its private advantage to particular perfons feems indeed often to be small. Multitudes there are, as bad, notwithstanding it, as one can well imagine they would be without it: and for this reafon fome deny its benefit. But furely it is a ftrange objec tion against the utefulness of a medicine, that they who refufe to take it, or neglect to take it regularly, are never the better for it. Many defpife and ridicule this inftitution; and yet from time to time gravely complain of the little good it doth, whilft they are diligently endeavouring, that it fhall do ftill lefs. And of the rest of mankind, few attend it fo conflantly as they ought, and fewer still with a due degree of right difpofition. Yet after all, the number made truly and inwardly religious and virtuous by it, is not contemptible; thofe that are amended in part, or kept back from being mifchievously wicked, are very large and in how much worse a condition we should quickly be, were it laid afide, is abundantly more eafy to foresee, than fafe to try. Too much trial indeed we have had already: more than enough to find, that as the contempt of God's word and worship increases, idleness, debauchery, difhonefty, fpread through the generality of mankind: evils, which one should think every one is greatly concerned to prevent, but efpecially the upper part of the world, both both for the fake of their inferiors and their own. How far the fame bad confequences have taken place amongst themfelves, might perhaps appear difrefpectful to fay but we may furely beg, that they and all men would feriously confider, what one good effect they have ever obferved to follow from difregarding the appointed exercifes of religion in what better way the time, allotted for thefe exercifes, is generally employed by thofe, who frequent them not; and what harm. could poffibly follow, if, from obedience to the command of God, from a respect to public authority, from concern for public welfare, from tenderness for their own private reputation, and (may we not add ?) from hope of poffibly receiving some little improvement too, they fhould prevail on themselves to fpend at church, every week, a few of thofe hours, which they do not feem, on other occafions, to reckon fo very precious. Doing this, and requiring thofe who depend on you to do it alfo, you cannot have occafion to regret very bitterly: omitting it, whatever you think now, perhaps you may, certainly you will, repent: God grant the time may come, before it is too late. Let us therefore now make this, amongst others, one trial of our spiritual state, whether we have loved the babitation of God's boufe, the place where his honour dwelleth: whether we receive the word with all readiness of mind, and defire the fincere milk of it, as St. Peter expreffes himself, that we may grow thereby‡. If not, let us stir up ourselves to the more conftant and zealous practice of a duty, which the apostle to the Hebrews enjoins as an indispensable one, even in the midst of fevere perfecutions with whose words I conclude. Let us bold faft the profeffion of our faith without wavering, and provoke one another unto love and good works, not forfaking the affembling of ourselves together, as the manner of fome is, but exhorting one another: and fo much the more, as ye fee the day approaching§. • Pf. xxvi. 8. 1 Pet. ii. 2. ↑ Acts xvii. 11. § Heb. x. 23, 24, 25. VOL. II. R SERMON LIII. THE QUALITIES OF A PIOUS AND DEVOUT HEARER OF THE WORD OF GOD. E LUKE viii. 18. Take heed therefore how ye bear. : VERY advantage, bestowed on us by providence, is a truft, of which we must hereafter give account. The advantages, which tend more immediately to our improvement in piety and virtue, are a truft of the most important kind: and religious inftruction holds a principal rank among thefe. Its nature is excellently fitted to do men good: the grace of God is ever ready to accompany it and yet very frequently it fails of its end. Doubtless too often this is our fault, who are employed to dispense it. We do not preach, we do not live, as we fhould may God be merciful to us and amend us: for heavy will be our condemnation, if we wilfully tranfgrefs, or fupinely neglect, either part of our duty. But the word of God, even when delivered by unskilful and wicked hands, hath power enough to produce its effect, if received as it ought and though delivered by the ableft and beft, too commonly, for want of being so received, produces none. Preachers of righteoufnefs, from the days of Noab* to this, have found their warnings in a great meafure fruitlefs. Prophets, exprefsly commiffioned from heaven, have been rejected or difregard. ed by thofe, to whom they were fent. Nay, the Son of God himfelf, as indeed his whole hiftory, but especially his parable in this chapter fhews, met with many, in whofe hearts his doctrine either gained no reception, or foon withered away, or was choked with thorns; for af ew, who brought forth good fruit, in a greater degree or a lefs. And if it was needful for 2 Pet. ii. 5. him, him, who fpake as never man did*, who confirmed his difcourfes by miracles, and adorned both by a life of perfect holiness, to bid his apoftles themfelves take heed bow they heard: much more ought his minifters now to give his people the fame caution, and they to obferve it. You think, and they, very truly, that a great deal is incumbent on us, but do you confider, what is incumbent on yourselves? Our reafons to defire that our preaching may be fuccefsful, are very strong: but yours are yet ftronger. If we fail of converting you, provided we endeavour it faithfully, we have delivered our own fouls: but if you fail of being converted, you die in your iniquity. The gofpel is the favour of life or of death‡, to all that hear it. Thofe, who are careful to improve by it, God will blefs with further improvements: thofe, who are not, he will leave in his juft judgement to grow worfe and worfe: or, to fpeak the language of our Saviour juft after the text; Whofoever bath, to him fhall be given; and whosoever bath not, from him fhall be taken even that which be feemeth to have. Being therefore fo deeply concerned in the matter, let us all confider, with what difpofition of heart we ought to receive religious inftruction. 1. And in the first place, that we should hearken to it with attention, is exceedingly plain: for else both speaking and hearing are loft labour. And yet how many are there, who vouchfafe not even fo much regard to the doctrine of salvation? Decency perhaps brings us hither: and a failure of making our appearance might be remarked to our disadvantage: but whether our minds are absent, cannot be fo eafily observed: and therefore about that, we are very indifferent. Or we come of courfe; without reflecting, what end is defigned to be ferved by it: and, though our confciences would not let us stay away, yet we have never bethought ourfelves, that being here without any care to become the wiser for it, amounts very nearly to the lame thing. Moft however have farely fome general intention of minding what they are about: but in fo weak a degree, that every fuggeftion of every kind overpowers it. Some fet their hearts on the affairs, and fome on the pleasures of life fo intirely, that thefe objects croud in at the most improper times, and drive out all others. Too many have indulged an indolent thoughtlefinefs, R 2 • John vii. 56. † Ezek iii. 19. 2 Cor. ii. 16. leffnefs, till applying their minds in earnest to any thing is become extremely difficult and painful to them. Not a few are engaged fo deeply in obfervation of what they see at church, that they have no room left for taking notice of what they hear. There are perfons too, who have so much to fay one to another, that they lofe, and make thofe around them lofe, much of what the preacher hath to say to them all. And frequent mutual informations, it seems, are of fuch importance and neceffity to be communicated immediately, that even the duties of hearkening to God's word in the leffons, and finging his praifes in the pfalms, muft give way to them. But indeed the beft difpofed, and moft confiderate, are not fo happy always, as to command their own thoughts. Our imaginations, however carefully checked, are too apt, on every occafion, to present us with a multiplicity of fancies and notions, quite foreign to the bufinefs we are upon but never more fo, than in the midst of our religious exercifes. And when once our minds are got loose; an effect, which the leaft accident will produce; then on they run from one thing to another, hanging together by fome kind of whimfical connection, till we are carried we know not whither: and if we try to recover ourselves, are often loft a fecond time in the very endeavour. Some degree of this is merely the weaknefs of our fallen condition: and fome have by nature more of it than others: for which they have indeed cause to be forry, yet not to think defpondingly of their spiritual condition. But ftill, too much of it is commonly our own fault. We have taught ourselves to be fo unfettled as we are, by indulging a languid indifference to the moft interefting of all our concerns; and perhaps too, by delighting in the vain amufement, which thefe roving ideas give us, at the most improper feafons. The cure of this bad habit is very difficult: and therefore our watchfulness against its growing upon us ought to be the greater and our attempts to root it out, more clofely followed. We muft beg of God pardon for our pait negkets, and affiftance for the time to come. We muft imprint on our minds, Leforehand, as deeply as ever we can, the importance of inftruction in our duty: and come to it with the most deliberate and firmnest purpose of strict attention. We muft call ourselves back immediately, when we |